Natasha Henstridge
Bright, Balanced and Beautiful.
Our cover story and now updated excerpts first appeared in Salon City magazine’s
most popular edition last year, “The Green Issue.”
By Lynn Morgan for Salon City
It seemed like a long-shot: not quite a comedy, not quite a drama, with metaphysical underpinnings, centering on a successful corporate attorney who may (not may not) be dying, but nevertheless experiences life-altering hallucinations, including a vision of 80’s pop sensation George Michael busting a move on his coffee table. And, oh yes: it’s also a musical. Sort of. But this was indeed the premise of the fanciful ABC series, “Eli Stone”, and its star, Natasha Henstridge enjoyed its unlikely success.
“I loved the combination of comedy and drama,” says Natasha, “and the comedy came out of real life. I care a lot about the work I’m doing; I’m always ready creatively to take risks and experiment.”
Natasha with Jonny Lee Miller in “Eli Stone” Photo: John D’Amico for ABC
“Eli Stone” has been a delightful experiment. It was an original and daring premise: network prime time TV usually shys away from the metaphysical, and musicals on television are notoriously hard to sell to audiences: Does anyone remember ‘Viva Laughlin”? Despite the long odds, “Eli Stone” found a loyal audience, garnered upbeat reviews and provoked lively discussions on - and off- line about science versus faith, visions versus delusions, destiny, karma and living a purposeful life. “I made people think about their own lives, and made them want to do good in the world,” says Natasha proudly.
“I made people think about their own lives, and made them want to
do good in the world,” says Natasha proudly.
The tall, Canadian-born model turned actress left her home in rural Alberta at age fourteen- “I felt like I was twenty five!”- after winning a Casablancas modeling agency “Look of the Year ” contest. With her parents’ reluctant blessing, she set out for New York, and Paris in search of a larger world. ”I felt different as a kid,” she recalls. “I grew up in a small town, and I had a burning desire to get out.” Within a year, the gorgeous blonde was on the cover of French Cosmopolitan, and other international magazines. She landed commercials for fragrances and skincare, and worked with major fashion photographers like Mario Testino.
“I didn’t love the job, ‘ Natasha says of her modeling days. “I loved the travel, living out of a suitcase. That kind of bohemian, gypsy existence is great for creative development, but I wanted something else.” She gave up modeling at 21 to pursue acting, her original ambition. Her first film role was “Sil” a beautiful, predatory alien creature in “Species” . The film made over a hundred million dollars for MGM and made the young Natasha a sci-fi icon.
“I’m a bit of a cult figure in the sci fi realm, ” she confesses, laughing. “There are certain places you go, like hobby shops or comic book stores, that attract a lot of people who are into science fiction. I was in a hobby shop recently, and the guy working there started shaking when he saw me! To have someone react that way to me seems a little ridiculous, but sci fi fans are very dedicated.”
Freaking out fan boys was not the only part of the experience she wasn’t prepared for. “Species” brough the budding actress into close contact with some major Hollywood talents she wasn’t even familiar with. “I didn’t know who Ben Kingsley was when I got cast in “Species” she laughs, recalling her Oscar-wining co-star. “That’s the nice thing about youth, though: you’re so innocent, you don’t have the sense to be scared of what you’re about to do!”
“Species” was such a huge hit, it spawned two sequels. However, Natasha didn’t want to become typecast as a sci fi babe. She was considered for roles in both “Independence Day” and “Men in Black” but the parts went to other actresses. “I would love to work with Will Smith, though,” she says now. “It would be an absolute gift! He’s such an enormous talent.”
Natasha worked steadily - Hollywood can always find some use for a tall, beautiful blonde- but the perfect project eluded her. She toyed with action films, co-starring with Jean-Claude Van Damme in “Maximum Risk” , and played opposite Ben Affleck in “Bounce”. She got some of her best reviews for her comedy turn as Matthew Perry’s love interest in “The Whole Nine Yards” playing Cynthia Tudeck, the estranged wife of retired hitman, Bruce Willis.
There were adventures in television as well. A series called “She Spies” lasted two seasons, but lives on in syndication and sells well on DVD. Natasha also co-starred with two more award-winning stars, Geena Davis and Donald Sutherland, in the short-lived ABC series, “Commander in Chief”. It was a bittersweet experience for Natasha. “Geena is a lovely person, ”she reminisices about her co-star. “She’s very aware; very conscious of what’s going on in the world. And Donald Sutherland is amazing; we’re both Canadian and share the same wacky sense of humor. As an actor, he’s so fantastic to work with: I found myself watching his performance in our scenes together instead of acting with him.”
Despite respectable ratings and strong reviews, “Commander in Chief” lasted only one season. “It got re-scheduled a lot, ” Natasha says sadly. ‘It got moved around so much the audience couldn’t keep up.”
With her new visibility, Natasha Henstridge is taking charge of her career direction. While many actresses are lamenting the paucity of good parts for women in Hollywood, Natasha has inked her own development deals to produce her own projects instead of waiting in vain for the right part to magically materialize.
It’s all part of her larger strategy for staying sane in Hollywood, which is not always easy.
Natasha Henstridge looks for balance in her life.
“It’s all about finding balance in your life,” she insists. “and it’s bloody hard to do. Finding the right balance between the material and the spiritual; the things that will really make you happy, as opposed to the things that you think are supposed to make you happy.”
Natasha finds that balance in family- she has two young sons- and in simple, pleasures, and the pure, restorative power of unspoiled nature. ”I am very adventurous. I love the outdoors. Whether it’s camping, snowboarding or just rollerblading at the beach, I love to be outside, active and enjoying nature.”
All of that outdoor activity has other benefits as well. Natasha’s modeling career followed in the footsteps of the original supermodels like Claudia Scheiffer, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington whose outsized personalities and bodacious bodies dominated catwalks and covers before the advent of the waif look and heroine chic. Natasha is unapologetically curvaceous.
“I wear a size 8!” she laughs. “In Hollywood, that’s like a size 22!
“I wear a size 8!” she laughs. “In Hollywood, that’s like a size 22! Just try to find a pair of jeans with a thirty inch waist in this town! People are killing themselves trying to be a size 0 or even a double zero- whatever that means! You get judged and panned more for how you look and what you wear than for your work! It’s ridiculous. If you devote all your energy to worrying about your dress size, you won’t be able to focus on anything worthwhile.’
In the eyes of Natasha’s legions of besotted male fans, size 8 is apparently just about perfect.
“I’m lucky I love sports, ” she continues. ” If I wasn’t athletic, I’d probably be enormous. But I think about being healthy, being strong and feeling good, not about being super-skinny.”
When she’s not out hiking, rollerblading or shredding powder, Natasha loves to cook, and living in Los Angeles offers some healthy benefits. “I love to cook. I love going to the big, outdoor farmers’ markets here! You can get the best, locally grown produce. It’s so fresh, so natural, and it tastes better, too.”
Natasha is dedicated to living a socially responsible, healthy and green life. “I’ve changed out all my lightbulbs for the energy efficient kind, ” she says. “I had a Range Rover, and I loved it! It was beautiful. It also broke down a lot, and I just couldn’t rationalize driving such a huge, gas guzzling car. I thought about getting a Prius, but I’ve got the kids, and all their stuff to carry; I got a Lexus hybrid instead. It’s energy efficent and it has plenty of room for the kids and the snowboards.”
She is happiest in simple surroundings, and believes in getting rid of as much extraneous clutter as possible. “There’s so much unnecessary packaging in everything we buy, ” she observes. “Junk mail should be illegal! The amount of paper and energy it wastes is horrifying.
“I’m as bad as anyone else, ” she continues. “Actors get a lot of free stuff, and on the surface, I love it, but mostly, it just becomes clutter. It takes up space in my life, and in my mind, and it’s just not necessary.”
Getting away from Hollywood, its endless materialism and obsession with the elusive size double zero helps Natasha Henstridge stay grounded.
“My favorite luxury is travel,” she says.”For me, lying on a beach for a few days is the perfect way to re-charge. I love to go everywhere, though. I like to go to Paris and stay with a friend who lives there. Visiting Europe keeps me in check. It’s a different mentality, a different way of living.”
It’s not that Natasha has turned her back completely on the glamorous life. “Former models pay less attention to their hair and clothes and make-up than anyone else in the world!” she laughs. “I use Desert Essence hair and skin products. It’s vegan, wheat and gluten free; no sulphites. You can get it at any health food store, and it’s not very expensive. California is great for me; I love to wear jeans and flip-flops during the day and only dress up at night.
Natasha Henstridge loves being a girl. Photo: John Russo / Brooks Institute
“I love being a girl; I love dressing up.”
“I love being a girl; I love dressing up, ” she continues. “I like to wear designers who understand a woman’s body. I love Zac Posen, Gucci and Versace - clothes that fit a voluptuous woman’s frame. I have Versace dresses that are ten years old that I still wear: they’re so beautifully made, such gorgeous fabrics and so perfectly fitted; they’re timeless and classic. I like Nanette Lepore: her clothes are very feminine and girly and work well for those of us with butts and boobs. Nicole Miller and Escada are good too for women with shapes. I can’t wear A-line dresses, flapper silhouettes, little spaghetti strap slip dresses; they just hang from my boobs and make me look like I’m carrying twins! And that’s how rumors get started!”
Natasha Henstridge has been taking a carefully measured journey towards stardom avoiding the all-too-common detours into rehab and public humiliation that have detailed other young women who have come to Hollywood. She is guided by something steadier, and won’t lose sight of what she considers important.
“I don’t want to lose the child-like excitement about lovely things and get jaded and have all those things become ordinary, expected and something taken for granted.”
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